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141st Field Artillery Regiment
|branch=Louisiana Army National Guard |motto= "TRY US!" |mascot= Tiger |current_commander= Major Kenneth Baillie |battles=Mexican-American War US Civil War{CSA} Spanish-American War Mexican Expedition World War II Operation Iraqi Freedom |identification_symbol= |identification_symbol_label=Distinctive unit insignia }} The 141st Field Artillery Regiment (Washington Artillery) is a United States field artillery regiment. History The 141st Field Artillery is an historic American military unit that is currently part of the Louisiana Army National Guard headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It traces its lineage to a militia artillery battery back to 1838, and its heritage includes substantial combat service in several major wars. It earned the Presidential Unit Citation (US) for its service in World War II. The Washington Artillery was founded on September 7, 1838 as the Washington Artillery Company. It received its regimental flag in August 1846 after serving under Zachary Taylor in the Mexican–American War. 26 May 1861 the Unit was mustered into the American Civil War; four companies served in the Army of Northern Virginia and a fifth was in the Army of Tennessee. Elements of the Washington Artillery participated in over sixty major actions. A few notable engagements include: Battle of Antietam, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Chickamauga, Battle of Fredericksburg, First Battle of Manassas, and the Battle of Cold Harbor. After the Civil War, it was reorganized as an independent unit called the “Louisiana Volunteer Field Artillery” where it served the United States in the occupation of Cuba. It later was called into service to protect the Mexican border in 1916. A year later it received the designation 141st Artillery. In early 1941, the 141st Field Artillery was mobilized for World War II where it earned the Presidential Unit Citation; a duplicate unit was formed, the 935th Field Artillery Battalion, with both serving in Europe and North Africa. The anti-tank batteries of the battalion were separated in mid-1941, and formed the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion. Between 1959 and 1967, several sister units were combined to form the 141st Field Artillery Battalion. In 2004 through 2005 and again in 2010, the 141st FA as part of the 256th Infantry Brigade mobilized to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. On 29 August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast of Louisiana and Mississippihttp://www.katrina.noaa.gov/ Hurricane Katrina. Retrieved on 24 November 2011 while most members of the Washington Artillery were still serving their final weeks of deployment in Iraq. Following the return of the Battalion to Louisiana, a detachment immediately mobilized to New Orleans to aid law enforcement with rescue efforts. With the help of the Louisiana State Police, those efforts transitioned into a support mission for the New Orleans Police Department. Joint Task Force Gator was created to help combat the rise of looting and other crimes resulting from the loss of law enforcement officers in the New Orleans area. After three-and-a-half years of assisting local police and patrolling the city, the task force was released from duty on 28 February 2009.http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1235802341228280.xml&coll=1 Guard wraps up Joint Task Force Gator. Retrieved on 24 November 2011 Regimental colors and streamers Regimental colors of the Washington Artillery These are the Campaign streamers awarded to the Regiment: Mexican–American War * Streamer without inscription American Civil War World War I * Streamer without inscription World War II Operation Iraqi Freedom * Iraqi Governance Current The 141st Field Artillery currently consists of the 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery. It is assigned as the fires battalion for the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Louisiana Army National Guard headquartered in the famed Jackson Barracks. Commanders References External links *Louisiana National Guard 1/141 Official Home Page (No Longer Updated) *1/141st Field Artillery (Washington Artillery) Unofficial Home Page *Washington Artillery of New Orleans *Washington Artillery Veteran's Association *141st Field Artillery Insignia *Washington Artillery History Page (Unofficial) *Washington Artillery Early Uniforms (Unofficial) *Washington Artillery Service Record / History (Archived 2009-10-19)*"The Washington Artillery, 5th Company, at the Battle of Perryville" – Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush 141 Category:2005 in Iraq Category:Louisiana Confederate Civil War regiments 141 Category:Military units and formations in Louisiana Category:Artillery units and formations of the American Civil War